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Re: Using the second person (was: Humor as a communication technique)
Subject:Re: Using the second person (was: Humor as a communication technique) From:Brandy Michelle Pariso <bmp0003 -at- JOVE -dot- ACS -dot- UNT -dot- EDU> Date:Tue, 16 Jun 1998 13:27:12 -0500
I concur.
"You" allows for, an active, direct voice that allows for readability.
Brandy
> I see this as a different issue. You can use "you" instead of "the user"
> and still be polite, not "chummy." We use "you" throughout our
> documentation, and trust me, accountants are not, as a group, people who
> appreciate a touchy-feely funny happy doc set. I'd argue for using the
> second person for readability, not tone.
>
> (emptying the change from my pockets today!)
> Hope Cascio
>
> ___________________________________________________________________________
> _________________________________________________________________
>
> To: TECHWR-L @ LISTSERV.OKSTATE.EDU
> cc: (bcc: Hope D. Cascio)
> From: Debbie Figus <debbief -at- NETVISION -dot- NET -dot- IL>
> Date: 06/16/98 12:33 PM
> Subject: Humor as a communication technique
> ___________________________________________________________________________
> _________________________________________________________________
>
>
>
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>
> Gord Deyo <DeyoG -at- ITLS -dot- COM> wrote:
>
> >I could imagine what my manager would do to me after handing in our
> >procedures interlaced with one-liners and cartoons. Maybe Microsoft
> >would hire me. ...
>
> Gordo=92s post made me smile.
>
> Recently I tried to defend using =93you=94 instead of =93the user=94 to=
> the
> hardware engineering manager here. In the course of the conversation, w=
> ith
> me talking about contemporary style, etc., he said to me, =93We aren=92=
> t
> Microsoft.=94 I got the point.
>
> The discussion of humor in technical communications seems to be more
> relevant to writers for =93user friendly=94 kinds of products, maybe li=
> ke some
> software applications or training materials. I work mostly on hardware
> manuals for avionic communications boards. My goal is clear, logical
> explanations of highly complex information, among other things, of cour=
> se.
>
> I will add, though, that the =93... for Dummies=94 books are quite plea=
> sant to
> read through, obviously due to all that humor. So it does have its plac=
> e,
> it seems.
>
> Debbie Figus
> Excalibur Systems
> Jerusalem, Israel
> =
>
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>
>
